Portugal cooking | Salt of Portugal Salt of Portugal all that is glorious about Portugal Menu ~ saltofportugal ~ 2 Comments Portuguese cooks love to alter traditional recipes, adding ingredients that can be difficult to detect but impart a special taste. We recently learned a few of these tricks. Our fish monger told us that “people always rave about my fish sauces. They don’t know I use a secret ingredient. When no one’s looking, I blend in a tablespoon of Savora mustard. It makes all the difference.” A saleswoman at Quinta do Sanguinhal confided: “when I roast meat, I use a secret ingredient. When no one’s looking, I pour a glass of “licoroso” (desert wine) on the meat. It gives the sauce an amazing taste.” The butcher gave us a pretty conventional stew recipe. When we asked him what made the recipe so special, he said, “Well, I use a secret ingredient. When no one’s looking I pour half a beer on the stew. Then, I drink the other half.” We plan to find out whether these tricks work… when no one’s looking.

~ saltofportugal ~ 5 Comments No one recorded the moment of sublime inspiration when an unsung genius thought of taking a delicious “ chouriço ” (a smoked sausage made of pork marinated in red wine), place it inside bread dough, and cook it in a wood oven. The result is incredible. You can buy chouriço bread at bakeries and fairs. But think twice before you try it: it is wildly addictive. Many visitors keep returning to Portugal on their vacations. They say they are attracted by the majesty of the cities, the beauty of the countryside, the stunning beaches, the perfect weather, the wine, the food, the hospitality, the culture. But we know they come for one thing only: the chouriço bread. ~ saltofportugal ~ 1 Comment A cataplana is a copper pan made of two clam shells that can be sealed with a clamp. The origins of this cooking contraption are lost in time. In the early 20th century Portuguese hunters carried cataplanas loaded with onions and tomatoes, so they could cook game on a wood fire.

Later, in the 1960s, the cataplana became a popular way to cook fish and shellfish in the Algarve. Since then, it has become a hallmark of Portuguese cooking. There is something magical about the moment when the waiter brings a cataplana to the table. And it is not hard to imagine that, as he opens the pan, he murmurs the same secret incantation used in the banquets of the Arabian Nights to make the meal unforgettable. You can buy a cataplana at Loja Pollux Hotelaria, Rua da Madalena, 263, Lisboa, tel. 218-811-291, email: hotelaria@pollux.pt or at A Vida Portuguesa, Rua Anchieta 11 in Chiado, Lisboa, tel. 213 465 073. ~ saltofportugal ~ 7 Comments Marcel Proust immortalized the madeleines in his writing. But the French did not change the name of these little cakes to prousteleines or madeleines à la Proust.

When Bulhão Pato, a 19th century writer, waxed poetically about a clam dish, the Portuguese named the recipe after him. Ameijoas à Bulhão Pato (clams Bulhão Pato) has become the classic Portuguese clam recipe. It is easy to prepare: combine olive oil and garlic in a pot; add the clams. Once the clams open, add some chopped coriander and a few squirts of lemon juice. The recipe is designed to showcase the splendor of the Portuguese clams. You’ll be disappointed if you use this recipe with lesser clams. Order clams Bulhão Pato at a beach-side restaurant and you’ll understand why Bulhão Pato thought they are pure poetry. ~ saltofportugal ~ 2 Comments Farturas are similar to Spanish churros but they are larger and softer. A light dough made of eggs and flour is squeezed out of a pastry bag to form a large spiral shape. The dough is gently fried in oil and then cut into pieces with a pair of scissors. These pieces are sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and served immediately.

Eating a warm fartura makes you feel like a kid again: everything is simple and wondrous and the infinite future looks sweet. You can find farturas in many fairs. Our favorites are from the São Mateus fair in Viseu. This year the fair runs until September 23. So, you still have time to go and be a kid again. ~ saltofportugal ~ 3 Comments The Portuguese brought from Africa a small red pepper called bird’s-eye chilli that they use to make a popular hot sauce. In Portuguese both the pepper and the sauce are called piri piri (pronounced peeree peeree). Restaurants that serve grilled chicken often make their own piri-piri sauce. What happens if you ask for their recipe? Here are some sample answers: “My Engleesh is not bery good, sory,” “We get it from Spain, you have to ask there.” After years of undercover work, we gathered some piri-piri intelligence to share with you. The base of the sauce is usually vegetable oil, although a few restaurants use olive oil. Often, the piri-piri peppers are simply combined with the oil and left alone for a few days.

In some cases, the oil is warmed to absorb more quickly the taste of the piri-piri pepper. Some recipes use vinegar, whisky, cognac, salt, parsley, coriander, cilantro, or garlic. No matter which version you try, piri piri will spice up your life. Posts navigation Top chefs share their top five utensils. By Jana Frawley, Zoe Skewes and Fiona Donnelly - Features - Stephanie Alexander ADAM LIAW Adam Liaw, MasterChef series two winner and author of Two Asian Kitchens, arrives for his interview with taste with all his favourite cooking utensils loaded into a large, flat-bottomed Japanese cane basket. If given the chance it would be the sixth item in his favourite kitchen. "I love the size of it," he says. "If I walk around the markets I can fill it with just the amount of food that I need to come home with." Here are Adam's other choices, which meet his criteria of being "well designed, functional and useful". PORK PRICK: Western cooks can be obsessive in their quest to find the perfect way to make pork crackling but it seems the Chinese are just as devoted to a solution to this culinary challenge.

"My grandma, when she was teaching me how to do the slow roasted pork belly, would spend a long time with the smallest knife in the kitchen poking holes in the skin," he says, adding the number of pricks you need in the skin to get that really crispy texture is a few hundred. One day on a trip to an Asian market Adam discovered a pork prick (his invented term), a small wooden-handled implement with spikes on the end made just for the purpose. LE CREUSET FRENCH OVEN: In the winter, this classic castiron pot is used so often it just sits on the stove waiting for the next meal – mainly curries and stews – to be cooked. "The construction of it is really solid, it distributes heat really well, and you can taste a difference between using that and using a very thin saucepan," says Adam, who has owned his pot for six years and keeps adding to the collection. PALETTE KNIFE: "If something looks amazing when it's put in front of you, you're immediately in the right mood to taste it more favourably," Adam says about the saying that we eat with our eyes.

It is for these reasons he has become a big fan of using a palette knife and sushi tweezers to delicately place food on a plate without having to over-handle it. 5-LITRE STOCK POT: "Any restaurant in the world worth its salt makes stock weekly, if not daily, and it's something that people don't do enough of at home," Adam explains. He uses homemade stock in nearly every savoury dish he makes. STANLEY KNIFE: "This Stanley knife is by far the most used knife in my kitchen," says Adam. It's used for opening packets, removing plastic nozzles from bottles, slicing bags open and basically cutting anything that is not food. ASHLY HICKS At Fortitude Valley's slick, degustation-only eyrie, The Buffalo Club, chef and co-owner Ashly Hicks can be found surrounded by all the latest culinary glamour gear – immersion circulators, dehydrators and Pacojets. One tool that makes the cut at both the restaurant and after hours is a Japanese mandolin. MICROPLANE: "Perfect for grating anything over a dish, for a finish. At home I use it with ingredients like bottarga (salty, smoked mullet roe).

At work I use it to grate smoked bone marrow. It's great to use for seasoning a dish." SILICON BAKING MATS: "So much more efficient than baking paper. They're non-stick so they're great for making crisps in the oven. Use the mandolin to slice the potatoes thinly, brush with clarified butter and then put the other mat on top to make sure they stay nice and flat. Cook in a 160-170C oven because if the heat is too high, they get all wrinkled around the edges." JAPANESE MANDOLIN: "Great for slicing vegetables for salads, or as a different way to prepare vegetables of any sort." CAST-IRON FRYPAN: "It's very important to have a good quality frypan so you get even heat throughout. Le Creuset is my pick, or just a normal castiron pan." HANDBLENDER: "These are really good for sauces or for aerating a soup. I like Bamix because it's good quality. BAC CANG NGHIEU The chef and manager of a pair of Vietnamese restaurants looks for utensils that are practical and versatile.

"I prefer to use tools that can be used for multiple uses," she says. MORTAR AND PESTLE: "This is frequently used for grinding dried spice and smashing herbs such as lemongrass, turmeric, ginger. I also use this tool to test and mix new flavours and sauces during the recipe experimental process." LOCKING TONGS: Bau Truong restaurants are known for their grilled meat, so this tool is obviously popular. "Tongs are also great for deep frying, mixing salad, picking up noodles, serving vegetables on the plate." LONG BAMBOO CHOPSTICKS: "A lot of the items on the menu are noodle-based, chopsticks are used to loosen up noodles , and I also use this tool for picking up and turning food during the deep-fried process." LADLE: "It is typically used for soup, but I also use it with a wok rather than the normal wok turning (spatula) for stir-frying. This is an essential tool in an Asian commercial kitchen." KANG KONG SHREDDER: "Kang kong is a very popular vegetable that is often shredded..

In the old days, people used to use a potato peeler to shred it strip by strip into the thickness of a toothpick. It would take forever, and this simple tool helps to reduce a lot of time." CATHERINE ANDERS It's a long way from an apprenticeship in Outback Emerald to the Orrery Restaurant in London and on to a head role at one of Brisbane's best restaurants. But Catherine Anders has taken it in her stride. An executive chef at riverside's Il Centro since last August, this down-to-earth culinary high-flier has three words of advice for anyone equipping a kitchen – "buy good quality". "Invest in stuff that lasts," she says. "And make sure to get a good set of saucepans." DRUM SIEVE: "This is great for achieving smooth-silky textures in purees." KITCHENAID MIXER: "Not essential but it just makes everything so much quicker when you're baking. I have both the pasta and mincer attachments and the mixing bowl is always out!" MICROPLANE: "It works so well.

I use it mainly for grating parmesan cheese." BAMBOO SPOON: "This is a cheap spoon but it's lovely and smooth. It's quite thin and great for stirring. It seems to work better than the traditional wooden version." ENAMEL COLANDER: "This is very much old-school – a vintage enamel colander. But whenever I have to strain anything I use this." CORDELL KHOURY Beccofino is regularly acknowledged as Brisbane's pizza mecca, but the talents of its chef-co-owner Cordell Khoury extend far beyond nicely charred bases and delicious toppings. Talk to Cordell about his choice of kitchen equipment and his first thought regarding essential kit is "wood-fired oven!" Generally, though, he takes a practical approach to furnishing a kitchen. "I steer clear of expensive gadgets that only do one thing – more often than not you'll find something you already have that will do the job." MICROPLANE: "This is a very fine grater. I use it to grate everything from fresh horseradish to parmesan and lemon zest. It's invaluable." NON-STICK FRYPAN: "I use the cheap ones from Coles.

It sounds crazy but they are cheap and they work well. I just keep them for two years and throw them out." SILICON SPATULA: "These are essential to avoid wastage. Choose a good strong model." DIGITAL TIMER OR iPHONE: "Chefs are always multitasking, with three or four things on the go at once. With a timer you know someone has your back. I use a little digital timer – you can buy them from hospitality supplies or my iPhone. For example, in the morning when I'm making soft boiled eggs, the timer is set to four minutes. The iPhone is really useful – I can hit it up for a recipe or use the calculator for making recipes smaller." LE CREUSET GRATIN DISH: JAMES SMYTH Bouzy Rouge chef James Smyth fell in love with Spanish and Portuguese cuisine while travelling in 2009. It was on this trip James also sourced what have become two of his most prized kitchen tools. CATAPLANA: Just like the word tagine, a cataplana is both the name of a recipe (a Portuguese seafood stew) and the utensil used to cook it in.

James visited Algarve in Portugal during his travels and knew he had to buy one. "In that region, most have cataplana on the menu and also hanging in the kitchen." PORTABLE PAELLA GAS BURNER: James first saw a Spanish chef using a portable burner in the back streets of Valencia and sought one for himself on his return home. "It's great for a function in the courtyard," he says. TERRINE MOULD: One of James's favourite dishes is a terrine and he has a number of different sizemoulds. "I make quince paste to get a nice square block." COFFEE GRINDER: James also uses his grinder for spices, salts and nuts. "I have one which allows me to change how coarse it grinds." MICROPLANE: James says it's worth spending the extra money on a Microplane grater, which he first discovered as an apprentice at Ezard when he was given the task of grating toasted coconuts for sorbet. KEVYN HALBERT The pastry chef and bread maker says having the correct utensils are essential in his profession. "If you don't have the right tools you can't do the right job," he says.

His top tools are: SERRATED KNIFE: Used for trimming and cutting pastry. "Pastry doesn't stick to it as much as a straight knife." PALETTE KNIFE: "You can lift up cakes and smooth things over with this knife. It's like a renderer's spatula, very useful." ROLLING PIN: "I have the metallic kind and the wooden ones," he says. "I have light, medium and heavy." PIPING BAGS: "I use both disposable and the oldfashioned kind, depending on the job." PASTRY DIVIDER: Kevyn uses a divider with smaller wheels. "It's a concertina-style divider in six parts, a good baker's tool." MICHAEL FOX Though he has worked in some of the world's most highly-regarded kitchens, Cecconi's Cantina sous chef Michael Fox still nominates some sentimental favourites as his most prized kitchen tools. WOODEN CHOPPING BOARD: Michael's grandfather made his wooden chopping board, which Michael has used for the past 11 years. "Wood has some advantages over plastic in that it is somewhat self-healing, shallow cuts in the wood will close up on their own.

Wood also has natural anti-septic properties." LE CREUSET POT: A gift from his parents at the beginning of his career, Michael mostly uses his 2-litre pot during winter for braising meats such as lamb shanks and beef cheeks. "I like I can start things off on the stove and finish in the oven," he says. YAKITORI GRILL: This small, ceramic Japanese tabletop grill uses heat beads, and was a gift from a chef friend in Japan. "It's great for cooking chicken skewers, barbecue fish and meat," Michael says. SILICON BAKEWARE: Michael uses silicon moulds for cooking cakes, muffins and bread. "They're easy to store because they're flexible," he says. THERMOMIX: It cooks, grates, grinds, kneads, crushes, chops, processes, weighs, and steams – and with a price tag of $2000, a Thermomix is one of the most luxe appliances available. But Michael loves using it to make the usually tricky bechamel sauce in just minutes.

PIERRE KHODJA Algeria-born chef Pierre Khodja had a childhood in Marseille, France, and an accomplished career in some of London's best kitchens before moving to Melbourne in 2001. The most treasured kitchen tools of the Flinders Hotel's executive chef come from all areas of his culinary history. COUSCOUSIER: This brass couscous steamer was given to Pierre the last time he visited Algeria. "It was bought at a local souk in Algiers and given to me by my mother," Pierre says. "It is the most authentic way to prepare couscous." MORTAR AND PESTLE: Bought during a holiday to Tunisia, Pierre's mortar and pestle is small, which means it's just the right size to grind enough spices for a family meal. TAGINE: Though Pierre has accumulated many tagines from North Africa, the one he uses the most at home is from Ikea! "It looks good in the kitchen and can go from stove-top to oven," Pierre says.

"It is one of the most-used items in our kitchen." CHOPPING BOARD: Bought from the St Kilda Sunday market, Pierre's large handmade chopping board is crafted from the wood of a gum tree and oiled with grape-seed oil. MINI ROBOT COUPE: This small food processor was one of the first kitchen utensils Pierre owned and it's still working more than 30 years later. "It accompanied me from Paris to London," he says. "It's good for making home-made harissa, pesto and purees." RYAN O'KEEFE A step above your normal domestic home cook, the Sydney Swans player works one day a week in Cloudy Bay Fish Co, in Westfield Sydney, and also advises younger players on diet and cooking. He also appeared on Celebrity MasterChef last year. "I've found food is a bit of release from my normal job," Ryan says. "I read recipes but I'm pretty experimental and I'll try different techniques." After his football career he would like to open a cafe or restaurant. To help, he'll have wife Tara who is his harshest critic. "If everyone else loves it, she cans it," Ryan jokes.

GLOBAL KNIVES: "I have the whole set, a carving knife, chef's knife, a vegetable knife, a bread knife and a filleting and boning knife." SMALL SKILLETS: "The skillets are for omelets. They are also handy for steak, for the protein. I always need it." FOOD PROCESSOR: He uses the processor for grating and chopping, and also for pasta and pastry dough making. He uses durum wheat flour and organic wholemeal. PASTA MACHINE: "Once you have made fresh pasta, you never go back." MIXMASTER: For cake and pudding mixing. "I enjoy them," he says of desserts. "I wish I could eat them." STEPHANIE ALEXANDER She's regarded as Australia's culinary royalty and her bestselling cookbook, Cook's Companion, is regularly referred to as our "culinary bible". But if you think Stephanie Alexander's kitchen shelves are as well stocked as your local homeware store, think again. "I'm not one for gadgets," the pragmatic Stephanie says. "I just don't have the bench space." Instead, her kitchen is filled with well-used and muchloved tools that have stood the test of time.

Some have been collected on her travels, some received as gifts and some – such as the hand-knitted cosies warming two teapots ("I have a tea addiction") – do nothing more than add some charm to her favourite room. MAGIMIX FOOD PROCESSOR: If Stephanie's cooking, chances are her food processor is getting a workout. "It's the most amazing assistant in the kitchen," she says. "I love it. It does everything: chopping, slicing, grating, juicing, pureeing." The most useful feature, she says, is its three differentsized bowls "The small one is incredibly handy for doing small quantities." Though Stephanie recently replaced her food processor – "I'd had my first one for 10 years but it finally came to grief over a slice of parmesan" – she doesn't see the need to wrap the appliance in cotton wool. "I put all the parts of it in the dishwasher," she admits. JAM PAN: Of all the creations that waft from Stephanie's kitchen, her absolute favourite is the cumquat marmalade she makes in the copper jam pan she bought in France about nine years ago. "I was with a group of people in the southwest of France...

and we visited one of the last copper pot makers in France," she recalls. "It was just a man in a tiny studio and it was fascinating to watch him take a piece of copper and shape it into a pot or a pan. There was just one jam pan and I pounced on it.... this one is a fantastic size as jam is best made in small quantities because then there's less boiling, which helps it keep its flavour." COLANDER: Rarely a day goes by when Stephanie doesn't cook vegetables from her garden and drain them in her favourite – and well-worn – bright yellow colander. She also uses it when cooking pasta and the solid base means the colander "holds its own" when she strains her home-made stock. "Colanders are the most simple thing in the world and I use mine most days," she says. VIETNAMESE GARDENING HOE: Stephanie sees her garden as an extension of her kitchen – and when she tends her vegetables she always has her Vietnamese gardening hoe within reach. "It was given to meas a gift but I've been to Vietnam and seen every farmer using one," she says.

"The design means it requires a minimum amount of effort." COPPER PAN: Oval and shallow with a riveted handle, this copper pan is perfect for cooking and serving fish, Stephanie says. The pan – bought at a market while on a trip to France with fellow cook Maggie Beer – easily fits one or two fillets of fish or a whole flat fish such as flounder. "What I like about it is I can cook the fish and then keep it in this pan to bring it to the table," Stephanie says. "My ongoing preference for serving food is to have it all in the middle of the table so everyone can see how beautiful it is." Cataplana Portuguese fish stew | Secret Sauce » Stew Recipes Cataplana Portuguese fish stew A cataplana takes its name from the Moorish designed copper domed dish it was originally cooked in. The dish was first introduced into the Algarve region of Southern Portugal way back in the 8th century .The food was placed in the bowl shaped base and the domed top provided a sealed space for the ingredients to simmer and infuse. Today the cast iron cocotte is a perfect replacement for such a cooking pot.

Ingredients for the cataplana vary from region to region with use of much artistic licence but the base of tomatoes, onions, wine and herbs remains the same. This recipe influenced by the Western Algarve style includes potatoes, firm white seasonal fish, seafood, peppers and a hint of chilli added to the base sauce. Serve traditionally straight from the cooking pot with crusty bread. Serves: 4 100g (3 1/2 oz) pancetta cubetti or smoked bacon cut into small pieces 100g (3 1/2 oz) chorizo sausage 1 large mild Spanish onion chopped 3 cloves garlic chopped 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes in juice 250ml (1 cup) dry white wine 1 bay leaf 1 large green pepper deseeded and chopped 400g( 14oz) firm white fish cut into large chunks* 500g (1lb 2oz) uncooked mussels in their shells* 175g (6oz) prepared raw baby squid cut into bite sized* 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley to serve.

What you do: Heat the oil in the casserole over a low to medium heat and add the pancetta and chorizo sausage. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the pancetta begins to brown and the chorizo has released its oil. Remove from the casserole with a slotted spoon and place into a small bowl for later use. Add the onions and garlic to the oil in the casserole and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes, wine, bay leaf, chilli flakes and salt. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and continue to cook with the lid off for 15 minutes. Peel and dice the potatoes to 1 cm (1/2 inch) cubes and add to the tomato sauce along with the chopped peppers, cooked pancetta and chorizo. Stir well, place the lid on the pan and continue to cook for 15 minutes. After this time the potato should be tender but not soft. Stir the chunks of fish, mussels in their shells and lastly the squid into the slow simmering sauce and replace the lid. Continue cooking for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this time.

Allow to stand with the lid on for 5 minutes after turning off the heat. Gently stir the contents of the casserole being careful not to break up the fish and discard any unopened mussels. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve traditionally straight from the casserole with some crusty bread. Cook's tip: Firm white fish - Any mix of fish such as monkfish, bass, and mullet are suitable depending on availability. Mussels - Clean the mussels and remove the beard, this is the weed like substance at the edge of the mussel. Discard any damaged or completely opened mussels. Squid - The squid can be replaced by raw king prawns if preferred. This page can be found at: A short link can also be used: Clams and Sausage in a Cataplana Recipe | Leite's Culinaria The New Portuguese Table | Clarkson Potter, 2009 A cataplana, a fixture in the Algarve, is kind of a spiritual cousin to the pressure cooker. Shaped like a giant clam, the hinged pan clamps down during cooking, locking in the juices of its contents.

When carried to the table and popped open, it fills the room with steam redolent of the sea. If you’re bereft of a cataplana, a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid works perfectly, if less attractively. I first had this meaty cataplana 12 years ago in Bridgewater, Connecticut, of all places, at the home of my friends Manny Almeida and Kevin Bagley. Manny, who’s from the same Azorean island as my family, just whipped it up one summer evening. I’ve since had it many times in Portugal, most memorably at an ocean-side joint in the town of Sagres, just east of the vertiginous promontory where Henry the Navigator supposedly built a school and shipyard for his sailors.–David Leite LC How To Cook With A Cataplana Note Want to know how to cook like a demon with this cataplana contraption that’s the precursor to the pressure cooker? Watch David and how he handles his cataplana in the following snippet from his first Today Show performance….

Special Equipment: Cataplana (optional) Clams and Sausage in a Cataplana Recipe Quick Glance 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley leaves Directions 1. Heat the oil in a large cataplana or a pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Dump in the chouriço (or dry-cured Spanish chorizo) and presunto (or Serrano ham, prosciutto) and cook, stirring occasionally, until touched with brown, 6 to 8 minutes. 2. Lower the heat to medium; drop in the onions and bay leaf, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the tomatoes and any accumulated juice, the wine, and paprika. Discard any clams that feel heavy (which means they’re full of sand), have broken shells, or don’t close when tapped. Plonk the clams into the pot and turn the heat to high. If using a cataplana, lock it and cook 5 to 10 minutes, shaking occasionally, until the clams open.

If using a Dutch oven, cook, covered, stirring occasionally until the clams pop open, 5 to 10 minutes. 3. Carry the cataplana triumphantly to the table, making sure everyone’s watching, then release the lid. Bask in the applause. Toss out the bay leaf andany clams that refuse to open. Season with a few grinds of pepper, shower with parsley, and ladle the stew into wide shallow bowls. Oh, and have a big bowl on hand for the shells. Hungry for more? Chow down on these: Seafood Soup Amalfi-Style Clams and Sausage in a Cataplana Recipe © 2009 David Leite. Photo © 2009 Nuno Correia. All rights reserved. Hey, there. Just a reminder that all our content is copyright protected. Like a photo? Please don't use it without our written permission . Like a recipe? Kindly contact the publisher listed above for permission before you post it (that's what we did) and rewrite it in your own words. That's the law, kids. And don't forget to link back to this page , where you found it. Thanks!

Portimão Food & Drink Information Register Now for advertising, updates & special offers! Portimão Food & Drink Information In Portimão you will never be short of somewhere to eat! There are fish restaurants, pizzerias, 'fast food', Chinese, Indian and more. Portimão is particularly famous for it's sardines and along the river front just past the Visconde Bivar gardens near the bridge are several large restaurants serving the freshly landed fish. In Praça de Manuel Teixeira Gomes, again on the waterfront, are some cafes and restaurants with lots of outside seating to enjoy the view across the river Arade and in and around the town are cafes both big and small. Prices for eating out are generally very reasonable as Portimão, being a busy working town, has a lot of locals who like to lunch too! The local gastronomy is, naturally, based around the lovely fresh fish and seafood so readily available but you will also find lots of chicken and meat dishes with pork being particularly popular. If you want to have a go at ordering in Portuguese we've given some useful portuguese translations .

For vegetarian and vegan food you may find choice a little limiting although many restaurants are happy to adapt a dish to suit your requirements, so do ask even if it's not on the menu! Cost of a drink in Portimão Alcohol in general tends to be very reasonably priced in the Algarve (in fact, probably considered cheap compared to most countries), with bottles of wine from as little as 1€ in the supermarkets! The prices of drinks in bars and restaurants can be very reasonable, a glass of wine €1.50 to €2, spirits (normally good sized measures) about €3 and small draft beers from €1 to €1.50, however they can also be a bit extortionate, especially in popular bars in tourist season, up to €6 for a spirit and mixer. With so many orange trees across the Algarve, its not suprising that fresh orange juice is widely served in cafes, bars and restaurants; a glass can cost as little as €2 but may be as much as €4, but it is well worth it!

A lot of the wine sold in the Algarve comes from other parts of Portugal (for example from Bairrada in the north, Estremadura near Lisbon and Alentejo) but the Algarve does also produce its own wine, most of which comes from the Lagoa, Portimão and Tavira areas. Most restaurants will only have Portuguese wines on their wine list and the 'house' wine ("vinho da casa") in white ("branco") and red ("tinto") is always good value. You can also opt for "vinho verde" which is a young 'green' wine, slightly sparkling, light and refreshing and goes very well with fish and chicken dishes, or rosé - Mateus rosé being the best known. If you prefer to drink beer ("cerveja"), there are really just three national brands that you will become familiar with: "Sagres" (named after the Algarve’s Sagres, but it isn’t produced there), "Super Bock" and "Cristal". You will also find, a number of imported beers and lagers that you are used to drinking at home, but these may be a little more expensive.

If you are ordering draft beer, then ask for “um imperial” if you would like a regular glass and “uma caneca” if you would like half a litre. After the meal you may want to try a glass of port, Portugals best known drink. Produced from a blend of wines, port is available in ‘ruby’ (a young and full-bodied sweet port), ‘tawny’ (a lighter port, best served chilled) and ‘white’ (which is dry and better served over ice as an aperitif). The Algarve is also famous for its spirits - there are two main ones to look out for when you come, "Aguardente" and "Medronho", but be warned, for both you need a sturdy palette! Aguardente is a Portuguese brandy, which is guaranteed to warm your cockles, with a throat-burning sensation turning to warmth in your stomach. Medronho (or ‘fire water’ as it is perhaps better known) is made from the strawberry like fruit of the arbutus and can literally bring tears to your eyes as you sip it. It is said that this potent spirit can knock grown men off their legs after one too many!

Local Gastronomy of Portimão Portimão, the next largest fishing port to Olhão, has fresh fish coming in on the boats every morning and with ideal conditions for clams, oysters and cockles in the river estuary in Alvor - fish and seafood is definitely top of the menu. There are numerous different ways of cooking the fish, whether it is a simple dish like grilled sardines with a tomato salad, a cataplana de marisco (seafood and fish cooked in the traditional clam shaped copper vessel)or a fish or seafood risotto. Even with all the fresh fish around there is almost certain to be a 'bacalhau' (dried, salt cod) dish as well - bacalhau com nata (with cream) being the most popular. Chicken piri-piri (barbecued chicken with a fiery pepper sauce) is almost as much a part of the Algarve as fish, and pork or lamb dishes are nearly always on the menu - pork with figs or lamb chops (costeletas de borrego) are just two examples.

Desserts traditionally centre on the local figs, carob and almonds in combinations with eggs and cinnamon - pasteis de nata (portuguese egg custards), pudim flan (egg custard with caramel), bolos de figo (little fig cakes) or bolos de amêndoa ( fancy shaped marzipan cakes). Top Eating out in Portimão With over 200km of coastline, it’s not surprising that the fish and seafood are a staple part of the diet for people in the Algarve and Portimão is no exception. With daily fishing trips bringing in huge amounts of fresh sardines, tuna, bream, cod, monkfish and many other types of fish; plentiful supplies of clams, oysters, prawns, not to mention octopus and squid, it’s easy to understand why. The traditional Portuguese restaurants normally offer a large selection of fish dishes, one of which is almost certain to be grilled sardines, served with boiled potatoes and vegetables or salad. It is worth pointing out that a helping of sardines may well be enough for 2 people (depending, obviously, on your appetite!) as the servings are very generous.

Also commonly on the menu are a range of omelettes, salads and some meat dishes, like thin pork slices (febras) served with a creamy mushroom sauce or chicken piri-piri.The prices are very reasonable, the food is good and the portions are generous. On average a 2-course meal for 2, including house wine, should cost less than €30. (Soup of the day €2.00, main course €7.50 and a bottle of house wine €10). Obviously prices can vary enormously depending on location. In a portuguese restaurant the meal traditionally starts with "Entradas" followed by "Prato principal" and lastly "Sobremesas": Starters - "Entradas" "Couvert" is the traditional start to a meal and normally consists of fresh bread, olives, sardine paté, cheese and carrots that have been lightly cooked and marinated in garlic, olive oil and spices. Most waiters will ask before serving the couvert, but if it is brought to the table and you don't want it, simply ask the waiter to take it back.

Couvert often costs as little as 1.50€ a person, but do check as it can be rather more. In traditional Portuguese restaurants, the choice of starters will often include soups and seafood dishes. The Portuguese are excellent at making fresh, wholesome soups. Portimão restaurants generally have a choice of vegetable soup ("sopa de legumes" or "caldo verde"), cold "gazpacho" soup made from peppers, cucumber and tomatoes, and fish soups. Generally soups tend to be served tepid, so if you like your soup very hot, then ask the waiter for it to be “Bem quente” (pronounced 'bem kent'). "Conquilhas" (small clams) are often served as a starter, as are various prawn dishes. Main Courses - "Pratos" A lot of the main dishes in Portimão restaurants are based around fish and seafood. The fish is normally simply prepared and served with salad and boiled potatoes or chips.

You will find lots of types of fish to choose from, such as swordfish ("espadarte"), tuna ("atum"), stone bass ("cherne") sea bass ("robalo") and red mullet ("salmonete") and of course sardines ("sardinhas")! Sometimes the price is for the dish, but a lot of fish is sold by weight (euros/kg) so it is worth checking before ordering. "Bacalhau" (pronounced “bakel-yow”) is probably one of the most traditional dishes that you’ll find in the Algarve. It is dried salt-cod, preserved in the same way as it was in the days of the first sea voyages in the time of the Portuguese Discoveries. The cod had to be preserved with salt to provide the sailors with a substantial food source while they were on a voyage. Since then, Bacalhau has become a staple part of the Portuguese diet and the Portuguese have come up with so many different ways off eating it that you will find a different Bacalhau dish to try each time; reportedly there are 365 different ways of cooking it!

Chicken ("frango") dishes are also popular in Portimão restaurants and you will frequently see chicken piri-piri ("frango piri-piri") on a menu. This dish uses the tiny bright red piri-piri chilli pepper, which is used to spice up many other Portuguese dishes too and is even used as table condiment. Barbequed chicken ("frango no churrasco") is also a favourite for the Portuguese and not surprisingly since the great all-year-round weather has created a tradition of out-door cooking. Other Algarve specialities include "Feijoada", a thick bean stew with pork, bacon and sausage which originally came from Brazil and "Cataplana", a dish of Moorish influence which uses a clam shaped copper pan to cook clams, or a mix of fish and seafood, with spicy sausage, tomatoes, wine, garlic and herbs. Another popular Portuguese dish is "Bife à Portuguesa", which is beef sirloin topped with smoked ham, cooked in a clay dish served on a bed of French fries.

Desserts - "Sobremesas" The Portuguese make the most wonderful desserts and pastries and a visit to Portimão wouldn’t be complete without sampling one or two of them! The best-loved desserts are "Pudim Flan" (crème caramel), "pasties de nata" ( a creamy, custard tart) and "tarte de amêndoa" (almond tart) and are highly recommended! Figs, almonds and locally produced honey in various combinations also feature highly on dessert menus along with fresh fruit. Dining with children Children are always welcome, day or night, and although there may not be a special children's menu, they are always catered for...either ask for "meia dose" (pronounced 'maya dose') which is a half portion, or a meal to be shared. Top Useful Portuguese translations for eating out in Portimão Here are some Portuguese words, phrases and numbers to help you order in a bar or restaurant, identify foods, order different quantities or listen to prices. To catch the attention of the waiter / waitress it is perfectly acceptable to just say "se faz favor" (please)!

To drink: "O que você quer beber?" - What would you like to drink? "E para beber?" - And to drink? "Vocês têm um menú de vinhos?" - Do you have wine list? "Para beber quero..." - I would like to drink... "(Eu) queria uma bica / um espresso" - I'd like an espresso. "Uma cerveja por favor. / Duas cervejas por favor" - A beer please / Two beers please "Um café, se faz favor" - A coffee, please "Uma água sem gás" - Still water "Uma água com gás" - Sparkling water "Um copo de vinho tinto" - A glass of red wine "Vinho branco" - White wine "O que deseja comer?" - What would you like to eat? "O que os senhores(as) querem comer?" - What would you like to eat? "O que (você) recomenda?" - What do you recommend? "Prato do dia" - Dish of the day "Para mim..." - For me... "(Eu) vou comer..." - I'll have the...

"Qual é a entrada / prato principal / sobremesa?" - What starters / main course / dessert do you have? "(Eu) gostaria ver a ementa por favor" - I would like to see the menu please O menú de sobremesas por favor - The desserts menu please "Para começar quero..." - To start I would like... "Como prato principal quero..." -For the main course I would like... "Para sobremesa quero..." - For dessert I'll have... "Não como carne" - I don't eat meat "(Eu) sou vegetariana/o" - I'm vegetarian (f/m.) "Uma mesa para duas pessoas" - A table for two "Tenho uma reserva em nome de ..." - I have a table reserved in the name of... "(Eu) queria uma mesa perto da janela" - I would like a table near to the window. "Isso não é o que eu encomendei" -That's not what I ordered "A conta por favor" - The bill (check) please "O serviço está incluído?" - Is service included?

"Acho que há um erro na conta" - I think there is a mistake in the bill. Portuguese Numbers:

Question: What is the name of the cooking utensil, popular on the Algarve in Portugal, used to cook a seafood stew, of the same name?
Answer: A CATAPLANA